Vertically adjustable bifocal spectacles



Oct; 29, 1946. is, E I 2410;141

VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE BIFOCAL SPECTACLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 6, 1943 JULIUS 3-. ZELL M INVENTOR v BY W M V ATTORNE 'YS 001:.29, '1946. J. s. ZELL VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE BIFOCAL SPEGTACLES Filed Sept. 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JULIUS $.ZELL

I INVENTOR Mali/ ATTQRNE'YS Patented Oct. 29, 1946 Q VERTIOALLY ADJUSTABLE BlFOCAL SPECTAQEES. Julius s. Zell, Portland; ore l Application September 6, 194,3; serial-N 501,412

This invention relates to bifocal spectacles, or spectacles having lenses with bifocal segments in which one segment of the lens is adapted for distant Vision and the other segment is adapted for reading or the viewing of objects near the eye. Ordinarily the reading segment is the lower segment in each lens so that the wearer of the spectacles looks downwardly through the reading segmentswhen reading or viewingan object close to the eyes and looks straight ahead or upwardly through the other segments of the lenses when veiwing more distant objects.

There are occasionsyhowever, when the wearer of the spectaclesmay desire to read something while looking straight ahead or'above the level of the eyes and for this purpose it is desirable to 3 Claims. (Cl; 882-49) raise the spectacles to permit looking through the lower reading segments.

In my U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,322,993, issued June 29, 1943, entitled Vertically adjustable bifocal spectacles, to which reference is made, I have described a simple means by which bifocal spectacles may be vertically adjusted to'two positions. Such means comprises a bridge member adapted .to rest on' the nose of the wearer, said bridge member having toggle-joint connections at the ends, and a spring or flexible member connect 'ing the tops of the lenses or-spectacle frames. While the vertically adjustable spectacles constructed in the manner described in my said patent have proved very satisfactory I have found' a slight objection on the part of some persons, particularly women, to the appearance given to spectacles by theflexible connecting member eX- tending across the top of the spectacles and join- 'ing the top edges of the lenses or lens frames.

The object of the present invention accordingly is to provide an improvement in the vertically'adjustable spectacle mounting of my previous patent by which this top spring member maybe omitted, thereby improving the appear-v ance of the spectacles;enablingthem to be less conspicuous and to resemble ordinary spectacles when in normal position, andt'o be made in any style preferred by the wearer.

This object I accomplish in the present invention by substituting a second bridge; embodying a resilient element, in place of the top spring member and by so arrangin the second bridge with respect to the bridge having the toggle connections as to give the appearance of only a single. bridge when the spectacles arein normal position a on the wearer; and by otherwise mounting the bifocal spectacles inthe manner hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

*FigfTQ is a section on the'line 9-9 of Fig.

the'ins'idebridge, or the bridge having the toggle connections,

enclose-"vision segments of the'lenses into convenient registration with a higher. line of-vision';

' Fig; 3 is anfenlarged fragmentary detail of the left-handmiddleportion of the spectacles of Figs. 1 and 2 viewed from the front, the brokenlines showing'the position'of the adjustable bridge when the spectacles'are in the raised position of zzirg x Fig. 3a is a corresponding fragmentary detail of the right-hand middle'portion of a pair of rimless' spectacles but similar in other respects to therimmed spectac'les'of Figs. '1- and 2, illustratinga-lso the employment of my invention with rimless as well as with rimmed spectacles;

Fig. 4 is a fiagmentary-top-view-of the double bridges connecting the lens frames in Fig. 1 and corresponding to the line 4-4 of Fig, 1;

ig. 5 is a section through the double. bridges takenf'on theline 5-5 of Fig. 1-; 1 30 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View, from the rear, of

the front bridge connecting the two lenses, with therear or toggle bridge removed for the sake of c1'arity,-this view illustrating how the lower por..

tions of'thefront bridgemay be broadenedto fhide the toggle connections of the rear or adjustable bridge; Fig. 7' illustrates a modificationin the structure of the front bridge in which the bridge itself ismade flexible instead of being flexibly connected to one of the lens frames;

Fig 8 illustrates another modification of the "spectacle mounting inwhich the front bridge is ehahnel-shaped to enable the adjustable bridge to fitiWitliih l the front bridge and be concealed thereby; a

through the bridges taken 8; and a Fig; 10 is a detail in perspective of a modified -'cl-ip or bracket suitable for connecting the double 'bridgemountingto a rimless lens. Referring-first to Figs. '1 and 2, which illustrate one practical mannerin which my invention may I be employed with rim-type bifocal spectacles, the

two lenses in and Ii aremountedinthe rims or frames l2 and [3"respectivelyi Eachlens' com- ;prises-two sections, the lower. section n in each Fig.2 shows thesame spectacles of Fig. l with adjusted so asTto raise the lenses to their high position and thus. bring the lower tacles can be adjusted .other Without being normal position of Fig.

be practically concealed behind the tached to the other frame !2, and may be attached similarly through the medium of a coilspring or resilient element, or, as shown in the drawings, may

l2. The purpose spring I5 is to of the resilient element or coil enable the lenses or lens frames' be rigidly attached to the frame to be moved slightly apart when the position of V the spectacles is to wearer, as will be explained later. apparent that a resilient connection or coil spring at one end only of the bridge 14 is sufficient for this purpose; although a similar resilient-connection at the other end of the bridge joining the other lens frame could be added if preferred.

A second bridge member I5 is located behind the forward bridge 14. The ends of this second bridge iii are connected by toggle joints I1 and IE to ears l9 and attached to the lens frames 12 and I3 respectively. Suitable nose rests 2| and22 are secured to the ends of the bridgelfi. 7

Figs. 1 and 2.show the two positions in which thespectacles maybe'worn, as previously mentioned. "When the spectacles are to be changed from the normal position of Fig. l to the raised position of Fig. 2 all that is required is to spread the two lensframes l2 and I3 slightly apart, which is permitted by the flexible or coil spring connection l5, whereupon the second adjustable bridge member 16 can be moved downwardly-due to the toggle connections. lifted when the lens frames It and I3 are being spread slightly apart, so that the nose rests 2| and 22 are removed from contact with the nose of the wearer, it'may not even be necessary to touch. the adjustable bridge at all and it will be caused to drop to its desired position merelyby the spreading of the lens frames. When the reverse adjustment is to take place and the spectacles are desired to resume their normal position of Fig. 1, the spreading of the lens frames l2 and I3 and a slight downward pressure will result in the. adjustable bridge l6 being pushed upwardly on account of the toggle joints. Thus the spec from one position to the entirely removed from the wearer. The spring connection iii of the front bridge It will normally hold the lens frames against spreading and thus hold the adjustable bridgelfi in either of by the wearer. v v V In Figs, '1 and 2 the two bridge members l4 and I6 are shown as similar in design and outline so thatwhen the spectacles are worn in the l the rear or adjustable the two positions as desired bridge IE will front bridge Hi. -If it is desired, for the purpose of appearance, to conceal the toggle connections of the adjustable bridge more completely this can "be "done by broadening the lower sections of the front bridge, as shown in Fig. 6 in which the lower portions 23 and 24 of the bridge l4 have been-widened to constitute shields behind which the toggle connectionsof the adjustable bridge will be hidden from view. i Instead of having the 'shapesandia outlineso as; to have the adjustable be adjusted on the nose of'the It Will be If the spectacles are I two bridges of the same 'spring member 28. it is possible to dispense with the coil spring connection between the bridge and one of the lens frames and still enable the lens frames to be spread apart sufiiciently for moving the adjustable bridge; Obviously various types and shapes of bridges could be employed in carrying out my invention. Also my invention can be employed with rimless spectacles, as illustrated in Fig. 3a, or with semi-rimmed spectacles, as illustrated in Fig.6. I

In the mounting illustrated in Fig. 3a the rimless lens 36 is secured to the clip 29. The clip 29 is formed with a pair of ears 3! and 32, the front bridge being secured at one end to the upper ear 3i and-the adjustable bridge having one of its toggle 1i ks connected to the lower car 32. However, the'two ears 3! and 32, instead of being arrangedone above the other, could be arranged in thesame horizontal plane extending from opposite faces of the lens. Such a modified form of clip for rimless lenses is shown in Fig. 10 in which the front car 33 of the c1ip35 of the rimless lens .36 is adapted for attachment to the front bridge and the rear ear 34 is adapted to have a toggle link of the rear or adjustable bridgeattached thereto.

Many modifications, in the shape and structure of the two bridge members, and in the manner in which the front bridge member and the toggle links of the adjustable bridge member are attached to the lens frames or directly to the lenses, would be possible Withinthe scope of the present invention. All that is necessary is to have a suitable bridge member resiliently connecting the two lenses or lens frames, as a substitute for the top'spring member described in my previous patentabove referred to, and a second bridge member having the toggle joint connections at its ends to enable it to be adjusted to the two positions as described.

I claim:

l.-A mounting for spectacles having bifocal lenses, said mounting comprising a pair of elements secured to saidlenses respectively, a pair of bridge assemblies located between the nasal sides of said lenses, said bridge assemblies connected to said elements, one of said bridge assemblies carrying nose rests and including toggle joints in its connections with said elements, the axes of said toggle-joints being at right angles to the plane of said lenses and said toggle-joints adapted'to, enable said lenses to be adjusted to high or low positions withrespect tosaid nose rests upon a slight movement of said lenses apart, a spring section included in the other bridge assembly, said spring section connected to one of said elements and adapted to allow sufiicient movement apart of said lenses to permit the making of such adjustment While enabling said lenses to be held in either said high or low position as desired, the major portions of said bridge assemblies being of similar size and shape and said assemblies so arranged as to give the general impression of a single bridge assembly when said lenses are inlow position. I

2. A mounting for lenses, said mounting comprising a resilient assembly connecting the nasal sides of said lenses, said resilient assembly including a bridge memher, and a second bridge member resembling in general said first bridge member in size and shape and so arranged as to be substantially concealed by said first bridge member when said second bridge member is in normal position, a pair of nose rests carried by said second bridge member, toggle-joint connections between the ends of said second bridge member and said lenses respectively, said toggle-joint connections having axes at right angles to the plane of said lenses and adapted to enable said lenses to be adjusted to high or low positions with respect to said second bridge member and nose rests, said resilient assembly allowing sufiicient movement apart of said lenses to permit the making of such adjustment while adapted to maintain said lenses in either of said adjusted positions as desired.

3. A mounting for spectacles having bifocal lenses, said mounting comprising a bridge having a top portion and a pair of side portions, means connecting said side portions to said lenses respectacles having bifocalspectively, one of said means including a spring element, a second bridge having a top portion and a pair of side portions, means connecting said side portions of said second bridge to said lenses respectively, each of said latter mentioned means including toggle-joint connections having their axes at right angles to the plane of said lenses and adapted to permit the adjustment of said lenses to high or low position with respect to said second bridge, nose rests carried by said second bridge, said first and second bridges being similar in general shape and size and said bridges being so positioned relatively with respect to each other as to enable said second bridge to be substantially concealed behind said first bridge when said lenses are in low position with reference to said second bridge, said spring element adapted to allow suiiicient lateral movement apart of said lenses to permit said adjustments of said lenses with respect to said second bridge to be made, and said first bridge and its connecting means acting to maintain said lenses and said second bridge in the desired adjusted relationship with each other.

JULIUS S. ZELL. 

